1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a printing apparatus provided with a colorimetric apparatus for measuring a colorimetric pattern printed on a sheet.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are some cases where an inkjet type printing apparatus is provided with a colorimetric function. According to such an inkjet type printing apparatus, a print head scans in a main scan direction to perform printing, and a color image is measured with the aim of color calibration or the like after printed. The result of color data obtained by the color measurement is reflected in image printing thereafter, making it possible to obtain desired color reproduction.
A color patch is required to be sufficiently dried for obtaining the desired color data, and therefore there is a problem that it takes time to transfer from completion of printing to start of color measurement. Therefore, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2008-254221 proposes a technique that a drying unit for forcibly implementing the drying is provided downstream of a printing unit and a colorimetric measurement unit, wherein the forced drying is implemented before the color measuring, thus shortening the time to transfer from the completion of the printing to the start of the color measurement.
In the apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2008-254221, the drying unit is arranged to a conveyed sheet in such a manner that an interval direction of the drying unit to the sheet is fixed. Therefore, there is a possibility that when a front end of the sheet is introduced under the drying unit, the sheet is rubbed with a part of the drying unit, and an image in a state where ink is before being dried and is not yet dried is damaged. Particularly when the sheet having a strong curling characteristic is used, the possibility of the damage to the image becomes greater.
For avoiding the damage, there is considered the structure that a relative distance between the drying unit and the sheet is variable. However, since a drying range varies by varying the relative distance, when the drying row number which can be dried at one time is fixed, losses in the drying row number arranged within the drying range or non-dried patch rows are generated to affect total throughput of the color measurement and color stable accuracy (color measurement accuracy) at measuring.